Life of The Lemons
by DrHankryZone13
Summary: Title says it all. Compilation of fics centering on Clemont and Bonnie and their lives amidst family, friends and their pokemon. I do not own the cover image. (Requests Accepted!) Rated T to be safe.
1. Author's Note

Been wanting to write for these lemon siblings for a long time and finally got the chance x3 But I'm a sucker for ideas and on a bit of writer's block so I'm willing to take requests! Just keep them sfw - injuries, arguments and sickness and shiz are so allowed~ I love the angst! :3c

PS: You can also include other characters like Ash and co in your requests! I also take AUs - Just include some description in your requests as reference ^^


	2. Baby Sister

"Clemont we're home!"

The blonde eight-year-old dashed right out of his room and through the corridors upon hearing the voices of his parents. To say that Clemont was so excited to see his dad and mom again is an understatement. It's been days since he's heard the great news from his mother and the youngster has waited for ages now. "Dad! Mom!" Squealed the blonde boy in the lab coat. Behind him, an Ampharos followed along with a Jolteon and a Helioptile; The Ampharos and Jolteon belonged to Clemont's father and mother respectively while the Helioptile is his.

The footsteps of the excited boy and the Pokemon after him grew louder as they drew nearer and the two adults were instantly greeted by their son and partners. "Son! So good to see ya again!" Meyer greeted cheerfully and he scooped up the child onto the couch. Beside Meyer, his wife Eliza shifted closer to get to reunite with her child as well, while taking care of the bundle she held. Clemont looked beyond happy to see his mother and the two shared a hug. That is until the boy noticed the clothed bundle in his mother's arm. It was pink and moving ever so slightly. Clemont swore he could hear a bit of whimpering coming from it.

Both parents noticed their boy staring and Eliza was smiling heartily. She shifted the bundle to both her arms in order to get it closer to Clemont. The little boy looked at his mother in wonder as she gently spoke. "Do you remember when mommy had to leave for a few days?" She gained a nod from her son before continuing, her azure eyes filled with love. "That's because your little sister has finally arrived. And here she is right now,"

Clemont's eyes grew wide. He had been very aware that he was going to get a sister. But he didn't expect her to be so small. "T-That's my sister? She's so.. Small,"

Eliza chuckled and gently ruffled her son's hair. "Well she is your little sister, Clemont. But best assured, she will grow big in no time like all babies."

This made the boy look on in interest and the mother glanced down at the newborn. She held a part of the cloth wrapping around the baby. "Do you want to see her, Clemont?" The boy blinked in surprise. He felt excitement wash over him and he glanced up at Meyer. The father nodded, and he adjusted his hold on Clemont so the youngster can see his new sibling. Eliza folded away part of the cloth so the newborn is easily seen by Clemont.

The baby had never looked so tiny. Now with her cloth shelter opened a bit, the pink blanket wrapping around her actually made her look smaller than she really is. The baby yawned a little and moved, her little hands sticking out a bit and her eyes are open in narrow slits. Clemont was absolutely mesmerized by the tiny bundle that was his little sister. He couldn't help but reach out…

He gasped when the baby shifted with a whine and immediately pulled his hand away. Clemont looked distraught at his parents. "She.. She doesn't like me."

Meyer and Eliza broke into slight laughter while shaking their heads. Eliza gently nuzzled her boy. "Of course she loves you Clemont. She's only shy, look," She let Clemont reach out to the baby again, this time with her hand guiding the boy's. Clemont swallowed hard, and screwed his eyes shut then turned away when his hand was inches away from his sister again. He waited for another cry to come out. But there was none!

Clemont opened one eye to look, and he found the baby mumbling a bit… Before letting her tiny hand feebly touch Clemont's!

The grownups swooned with adoring, but their happiness was nothing compared to little Clemont's. The boy was staring, eyes wide and his lower lip trembling. And then he broke into an overjoyed grin followed by laughter. "She touched me! You're right mom she really does like me!" The boy squeaked with sheer joy and he reached out to the baby with both hands this time - Much to his utter joy, the baby cooed and gave a toothless smile in response.

Now that reaction made Clemont extremely happy, and the boy felt that sensation swelling in his heart; Not just happiness and joy, but a wave of protectiveness. His jubilance simmering down at last, Clemont's azure eyes filled with a passionate, gentle determination as he gazed at his baby sister - The baby looked back at her brother as he spoke to her gently. "Hey little sister.. I'm your big brother, and I'm going to protect you from now on. Mom and Dad will too,"

The blonde boy looked up at his parents with a smile after his sentence and they looked down with loving gazes. The little family was eventually joined by their Pokemon who took their places beside their partners. The three pairs of curious Pokemon eyes landed on the new member of the family and Meyer took the time to introduce Ampharos to his daughter with Eliza doing the same with her Jolteon; Ampharos wagged its tail in glee and Jolteon was smiling!

Clemont held his Helioptile and proudly showed off his baby sister, to which the little long-eared Pokemon yipped happily in response. "Isn't she great Helioptile? Don't worry you'll get to play with her as well soon!" Clemont held the Pokemon close and a sudden thought occurred to him. He glanced at the baby and then went to get his parents' attention. "Mom? Dad? Did the baby have a name yet?" Clemont cringed in the inside. How could he not know his sister's name? Luckily for him, his parents don't mind one bit.

Eliza and Meyer shared a loving glance before facing their son. "She's called Bonnie, sweetheart." Said the blonde-haired mother with a sweet smile as she held the baby to Clemont once more, now talking to the baby. "This is your big brother Clemont, and you're going to love torturing him~!" She jokingly said the last sentence causing Clemont to groan in mock annoyance. "Aw mom!"

The mother and son laughed, and then they were held tightly in one of Meyer's tight bear hugs. The burly man had tears of emotion streaming down his face as he cried with joy. "This calls for a celebration! To the four of us!" Eliza rolled her eyes amusedly and nuzzled her husband, and Clemont simply gazed at little Bonnie with tenderness in his eyes. No matter what this baby will end up doing to him in the future, Clemont will always love his little sister; He hoped Bonnie will get to love him too. He closed his eyes with a content smile.

**There we have it; Clemont and Bonnie's first ever meeting :) Eliza is my OC for the Lemons' mother and she's sweet stuff that gets tough when needed. **


	3. Of Little Sisters and Getting Fit

It was one of those ordinary days in Lumiose City when everyone and their Pokemon are out and about doing their usual. The hometown of the Electric Gym Leader was extra busy this time considering it is also one of those days when people often did their shopping for home use. Little Bonnie was one of those people and she was zooming through the crowd excitedly with Dedenne in her satchel. The eight-year-old is extra excited this time around because Meyer had asked her to do the shopping for the very first time. But of course she wasn't going to do it by herself - All she's going to do is hold the list made by her father and pick out all the stuff while her brother helps carry them home.

And speaking of brother…

"Come on Clemont hurry up!" Bonnie whined with Dedenne looking back at its lagging trainer. The teenager behind them only panted in exhaust as he tried to catch up, and Bonnie could only sigh. It had always been like this even when they were with Ash and Serena. And as usual, Bonnie would just have to go back and urge him on. And she did.

With Dedenne following, the little girl sprinted to her brother to push him from behind. "You're s-such a S-Slowpoke! Y-You Slowpoke! You s-should exercise more often!" Bonnie grunted with effort in her pushing. Clemont could only pant with exhaust. "Exercise? As if I'm not doing that already!" Exclaimed the older boy tiredly. "Just what do you think I've been doing everyday?" The bespectacled teen stopped to catch his breath. as Bonnie pouted at him with a look of sarcastic wonder.

The little girl shrugged. "Hmm I don't know," She raised up a finger each for each thing she named off. "Reading those books all day, battle challengers in the Gym all day and lots of other things except for one - _Exercising!_"

"De ne!" Dedenne squeaked in agreement much to its trainer's shock.

"W-What?! Of course I exercise! It's all part of my daily routine..." Clemont's face flushed with redness at the fib he's giving - And Bonnie saw through that.

A cheeky expression appeared on her face as she hummed. "Oh really?" Clemont opened his mouth to speak but he was overcome by surprise when Bonnie suddenly threw her arms around his waist. Her forehead scrunched into a slight frown as her arms felt around her brother's body. She pulled away with a pout. "Just as I thought! You're not just a Slowpoke but you're flabby too! Look! Last time my hands can go completely around you and touch each other but now they can't because you're so big and squishy!" She squeezed Clemont's waist in demonstration; Just like she said, her hands are barely inches from touching each other.

Clemont blushed in embarrassment at this and he sighed in exasperation. There is no point in arguing with the truth, especially when it's your little sister who brings it out. "Hm.. So maybe I _did_ get a little bigger…" He winced at Bonnie's pout. "Okay a _lot_ bigger! But you don't know what I'm doing," The older brother rubbed the back of his head in awkwardness with Bonnie pouting still. "I'm a very busy trainer Bonnie. I haven't got any time.."

"But yet you always have time for me and Dedenne after Gym battles," Bonnie pointed out with a frown, and then she gasped in delight after a pause. "Of course!" Her eyes sparkled for she just had an idea! But of course she wasn't going to let her brother know immediately…

Clemont rose a brow in noticing his sister's excitement, his earlier embarrassment vanishing. "What is it Bonnie?"

"Ooh nothing Big Brother! I just remembered what we do everyday after the Gym that's all!" The little girl shook her head with an innocent grin. And before Clemont could ask any further, she pushed him ahead. "Now come on! I still have shopping to do for daddy!" She excitedly tugged Clemont's sleeve and in her favour, the bespectacled sixteen-year-old seemed to forget about the shaming from Bonnie.

So with that, the two siblings resumed their trip to the Lumiose shops where they'd get the necessary things for Meyer. Once finished, they'd return home to join Meyer for lunch (Bonnie sneakily took some of Clemont's portions to feed his Luxray without him noticing!) and then they went on to Prism Tower to deal with the day's challengers. It was the cycle of norm - There were losses, and there were winners. Clemont had already given away a few Voltage badges to the hardworking trainers before he got to the final trainer for the day.

While Clemont battled with his party consisting of Emolga, Magneton and Heliolisk, Bonnie was at the audience seats with the rebuilt Clembot, who filled in as Prism Tower's substitute when Clemont couldn't battle challengers in person. The robot was of course, programmed to not just battle the challengers but also, watch Bonnie in times like these - Also giving Clembot the chance to socialise with his creator's younger sister more. While he wasn't able to understand the annoying side of being a big brother just yet, he still found Bonnie getting on his nerves every now and then - Still, the robot is just as patient with her like Clemont is and Bonnie is fond of him.

Clembot listened on to Bonnie's idea when the girl apparently thought the robot could keep a secret. It was only when she told him not to tell Clemont did the robot get to question. "May I ask a question? What do you hope to achieve in doing that?" The little girl looked at the robot and shrugged. "Well, there's nothing more in it for me aside from getting to play with Clemont but really _he's_ the one who needs it more so I have to help him somehow! That way he can be as fast as me and he won't be so big and slow all the time too!"

"I see. And I understand now."

Bonnie giggled and hugged the robot. "I knew you would Clembot!" The robot only blinked in response and he continued to watch over the girl as she focused her attention on Dedenne. They continued to watch Clemont battle the challenger - And it was an unfortunate loss. The trainer called their pokemon, a Flareon, back into its pokeball. They looked disappointed, but with Clemont's advice for a future rematch, they regained determination and they left for the Pokemon Centre.

Clemont watched them leave with a relieved sigh. It was already his last challenger for the day and he went to praise his Pokemon. "Great job guys. Now take a good rest," He said to the three Pokemon and they were recalled back in their pokeballs. With Gym Leader duty finished for the day, all Clemont had left to do according to tradition is quality time with Bonnie - And the little girl was already running to him. She held onto her brother's hand with an eager bounce.

"Can you play with me now Clemont? Can you? Please?"

Bonnie pulled out her cutest puppy face complete with the clasped hands. Clemont can never say no to such cuteness - Even though he wasn't going to say no in the first place, he found himself won over by his sister's antics. "Okay Bonnie, since you waited all day for this." He smiled amusedly at Bonnie's squeal of joy. "That's great! We're gonna have so much fun Big Brother come on!"

The forest clearing not far from their house is the first destination in the little girl's mind and it is exactly where she took her brother. This area is also where Clemont would allow his Pokemon to roam, so before he could do anything with Bonnie, he released the Pokemon with him - Luxray, Bunnelby and Chespin. The smaller Pokemon are already hopping or running about happily while the larger gleam eyes Pokemon went to snooze under the shade of sunset.

Now with the Pokemon out, Clemont set his attention to Bonnie. "So, what do you want to do today Bonnie?" He asked the younger girl. When Bonnie didn't reply, the teenager looked over his shoulder to find his sister on the grassy floor doing a really strange activity with Dedenne imitating her. Bonnie wore a puffed up face of concentration as she did what looked like very poor version of curl-ups; Everytime she got her upper half up her arms were sideways and when it came to lowering herself, she immediately dropped down rather than curl back up.

Behind his glasses, the skin below one of Clemont's eye twitched. Somehow he felt more weirded out than amused - He definitely knew that whatever Bonnie is doing, she is doing it _very_ incorrectly. He went over to sit beside her with a strange look. "Bonnie what are you doing?"

Bonnie pulled her upper half up before answering. "I'm doing some exercising like those boys in the fitness club!" She let herself to the ground flashing an innocent smile at her brother. "I'm doing curl-ups first and next I'm gonna do some jogging!" She resumed to doing her awkward 'curl-ups' causing Clemont to look stunned. Those curl-ups do _not_ look like curl-ups at all! Brotherly intuition taking over, Clemont shook his head and laid on his back beside his sister.

"I think those guys you saw are doing it wrongly,"

Clemont muttered flatly causing Bonnie and Dedenne to look at him with 'surprised' looks. "Oh? What do you mean they're doing it wrongly Clemont?" Bonnie tilted her head with a puppy frown. "So does this mean I'm doing it wrongly too?"

The older brother nodded slowly with a hand running across his head. "Well you are getting it, sort of. But let's just say there's, kind of, a more correct way to do it."

Now Bonnie looked intrigued and placed herself on Clemont's shoulder with both hands below her chin. She put on her puppy eyes again. "Do you know how to do it correctly Big Brother?" When Clemont nodded, Bonnie's lower lip trembled and she leaned her face closer to make herself more irresistible. "Can you _pleeease_ show me how? I wanna learn! I wanna learn!"

"De ne ne!" Dedenne squeaked as well, pulling the adorable face trick itself.

Clemont definitely couldn't say no to that. If his sister learnt something wrongly it is up to the big brother to correct it. "Of course!" The older blonde agreed ever so readily much to Bonnie's delight. Making sure that Bonnie was watching, Clemont closed his eyes in concentration and cupped his hands over his ears. He laid down, and then curled himself back up to let his elbows touch his knees. And then he slowly lowered himself before repeating the first action. Every now and then he'd glance at Bonnie with a confident smile - Happy to correct his sister on how to do the exercise.

"Now _this_ is how you do it Bonnie!" Explained he, as he continued. "Trust me I'm doing it much better than those girls you saw!"

Bonnie looked in awe, and then she laid down beside Clemont to begin doing the same; This time, following her brother's actions. She did this with more ease and flashed a happy grin at her brother. "Wow you sure make curl-ups more easy Clemont! Thanks for showing me!" She giggled and continued with the exercise, then asking innocently after a couple rounds. "So how often do we have to do this?"

Clemont looked thoughtful for a second, before he came to a response. "It's best done every day and your number of curl-ups increase by a fixed amount with every day that passes." He continued the said exercise as he spoke. "Some people can increase by big numbers when they're up to it. But for starters it's best to start small while following the cycle." He stopped halfway to look at Bonnie with a challenging smile. "Say how about we start with fifteen for today? And then tomorrow we can increase by another five or even ten - Are you up for it Bonnie?"

At this, Bonnie smirked and sat up with her hands over her ears still. "The real question is are _you_ up to it Clemont?" She giggled, her blue eyes filled with mischief. "Because I'm so going to reach ten before you do! Bet you can't do it faster than me!"

Clemont gasped, and flashed her a confident grin. "Oh yeah? We'll see about that Bonnie! Last one to finish does the dishes tonight!"

The little girl squealed a 'battle cry' and then she and Clemont spent the next minutes racing each other to reach fifteen curl-ups before the other! In the end, it was Clemont who won, but then Bonnie had proposed the next challenge; Jogging up to the creek farther away and back. And just like with the curl-ups, Bonnie did her running very awkwardly and it needed Clemont's correction and jogging alongside her for Bonnie to get it right.

It was pretty much the same for any other exercise they'd attempt to try together and poor Clemont was stuck with that one horrifying fact; His poor baby sister had been influenced by _idiots_ who showed her the incorrect ways of exercises. This is simply unacceptable and it made Clemont fume. So the older sibling did what he can to fully re-educate his sister and is determined to cleanse her mind of those errors - Even if it took him a long time…And it did.

The exercises went for nearly every single day after that to the point it became a tradition. The moment Clemont finishes his duties at the Prism Tower, he immediately summons Bonnie for 'exercise lessons' where he'd begin to work out all the while teaching Bonnie with the moves. Doing this often definitely made Clemont burn a lot more than normal and seeing this made Bonnie pleased on the inside. Her plan is working perfectly fine and all she had to do was pretend to keep messing up and get Clemont to always demonstrate the exercises for her! Sure a small part of her felt a tiny bit guilty for tricking her brother like this, but she knew it's for the best; That and she did let Meyer on with the plan and he gave her his full approval much to her delight.

The hefty tradition went on and on for days, and those days became months! It went on for a _long_ time. But throughout, both siblings had the most fun in their tradition and every minute of it was spent in burning and laughter in each other's company. Even Clemont was enjoying every second of it all. He failed to notice that these passing months have long began to apply changes to his body frame...

And by the time Bonnie 'finally' managed to master the exercises one afternoon, she was all drenched in sweat and she had to take off her Shinx jacket to cool off. She was definitely burned out, but hers is nothing compared to her brother's. In fact she was utterly impressed to see him during the past few months since they started their 'work-out' tradition.

Clemont was completely drenched in his own sweat after putting hard effort in working out. He was still panting, but compared to the before all this started, his running endurance had long increased and Bonnie had received a big surprise when she found that Clemont was already able to outrun her during one of their jogging trips! And it didn't end there - Bonnie found herself being outrun by Clemont more and more, to the point that when they're doing their laps within Lumiose City, people couldn't help but stare in shock and amazement, impressed that their slow and unfit Gym Leader was able to outrun _her_, his own speedy little sister!

The exhausted teen heaved a sigh of exhaustion as he got to cool himself down. His jumpsuit was partially unzipped with the sleeves tied around his waist, exposing only the white sleeveless shirt he wore underneath. Bonnie offered Clemont a bottle of water, which the older boy took gratefully. "Thanks Bonnie! I needed that," Clemont quickly chugged it down in gulps and he exhaled with relief, the exhaustion still not leaving him completely judging by the heavy breaths.

While Clemont sat to catch his breath and rest, Bonnie took the opportunity to sit beside her brother. She too feeling so exhausted as well; She plopped with her head against Clemont's side with her arms wrapping around his waist… She froze. Something felt different somehow and she instinctively glanced down to investigate. Bonnie's eyes grew wide and she gasped, immediately pulling away and jumping to her feet. "C-Clemont!"

Clemont flinched from the action but alarm was quick to sink in when he saw the astonishment on his sister's face. "What is it Bonnie? Is it a wild Pokemon? What is it?!"

The older brother now spiked with worry, wildly glanced around not noticing the forming smile of awe on Bonnie's face. The little girl laughed and shook her head. "No Clemont! There's nothing!" Her brother blinked a few time, and he gave an exasperated glare. "Then what is it that made you jump? You scared me..."

The teen was about to scold Bonnie for giving him that spike of fear. But before he could, the girl squealed an excited "Look!" before throwing herself into Clemont's arms - Her own wrapping around Clemont's waist and to the shock of the older one, Bonnie's arms went completely around his waist and her hands are now able to cup each other where they couldn't, a long time back before they both started to exercise.

Clemont was at a loss for words, and his lower jaw hung for a moment. Then it morphed into an overjoyed expression that matched the one on Bonnie's face. The girl looked very proud of herself and she beamed up at her brother. "You've gotten thinner now Big Brother! Look at yourself you're not flabby anymore!" She giggled and wrapped her arms around him again, letting her hands touch each other.

Her brother still couldn't believe it at first. But then he broke into a light chuckle. "W-Wow! I don't know what to say about this!" He grinned down at his sister and back at his own frame. True to Bonnie's words, he did get thinner and he _did_ _not_ notice! He felt great pride swell within himself and he gave Bonnie a squeeze. "This is all thanks to teaching you how to exercise Bonnie! Looks like these lessons have benefit the both of us after all! I'm so.. So proud for the both of us!"

Bonnie simply giggled and playfully nudged her older brother. "Aw don't be so modest! The only one you should thank is yourself! You're the one who let yourself fall for my acting-!" Her hands flew to her mouth at that sentence and Clemont caught it all. His eyes widened. "Wait what?" He fixed his gaze upon his sister silently demanding a further explanation.

Seeing no point in hiding it any further, Bonnie sighed and lowered her head.

"I… I actually knew how to do all those exercises we've been doing Clemont." Bonnie admitted quietly, her eyes never leaving the ground as she felt the shame for 'lying' to her brother overcome her at last. She looked up at him with desperation in her eyes. "But I just wanted to help you! You were always so slow and you're getting so fat-! I mean! Bigger…" She whimpered and shook her head, now fighting back tears. "But I was wrong to trick you like this. I shouldn't have forced you to do this either… I'm sorry Big Brother."

The girl bit her lip and stood still in expecting a scolding or a word of hurt from her brother. But to her shock, all Clemont did was pull her in for a meaningful hug that the younger couldn't resist. Bonnie whimpered a bit, and she gazed at her older brother. "W-Why? Aren't you mad at me?"

Clemont shook his head with a slight hum, and he pulled away a bit to meet Bonnie's eyes. "Why would I be mad? I have no reason to be." He sighed averted his gaze. "In all honesty, you were actually right in tricking me like this and I must say, I'm impressed! You really did the job," He paused upon seeing Bonnie's confused look and he looked softly at her with his hand now on her shoulder. "If anything, Bonnie, I should really be thanking you for doing this to me. Why? It's because if you hadn't pretended to not know how to exercise correctly, I wouldn't have gotten into a healthier shape and get the chance to outrun my own little sister for a first." He chuckled at his own joke and shook his head sheepishly. "But that wasn't the best part of it. It's something else,"

Bonnie tilted her head in curiosity. "What is it?"

The older boy smiled, and he pulled Bonnie closer in a loving hug. "It's getting to spend time with the most amazing little sister I have ever had."

The little girl's eyes dilated with emotion and she buried herself into Clemont's shoulder. "B-Big Brother… I like spending time with you too! I just have so much fun with you!" She cried with the sincerest of joy. Clemont smiled with touched feeling at this - He stroked the top of Bonnie's head. "The feeling's very mutual. Nothing can change that," He stood up with a risen brow at his sister. "Now how about we do some rounds from here to Prism Tower and back? We haven't done that yet now haven't we?" He grinned and adjusted his glasses. "It's time we get to show everybody what we're doing anyway!"

Bonnie smirked in confidence and got her jacket back on. "It is on!" She sprinted ahead but not without giving Clemont a playful bump on the side. "Last one there is a rotten Exeggcute!" It didn't take long for Clemont to start going after her and the two of them went through Lumiose City laughing with glee.

**Writing this is fun! :D Hope this gives you enough sweetness MaMcMu! And for the rest of the readers requests are still open so knock yourselves out! :) **


	4. Blind Daze

_"The first pair's not gonna be in for a week son. Are you sure you can handle?"_

_"Yes I'm sure dad. I'll just have to be extra careful that's all."_

_"Alrighty then,"_

Bonnie had her ear pressed against the door with her lips pursed in concentration. Meyer had just returned from the city's opthamologist with Clemont after the latter had a 'bit of an accident' last week. Long story short, the Gym Leader was trying to replace the Lémon household lightbulbs when he lost his footing on the ladder and nearly fell. He saved himself, but his glasses were on the floor and Clemont realised too late after he stepped down and it ended with him hearing the sound of cracking and screaming in despair…

"De ne?"

The orange mouse Pokemon that is Dedenne poked its head out of Bonnie's satchel. Bonnie looked down and shrugged. "I don't know Dedenne. But maybe it's just Clemont getting new glasses again." She let the small Pokemon scamper up her arm to sit on her head and the door in front of them finally opened. Clemont looked like he had just gone through hours of whining and he was sulking a bit much to Bonnie's amusement. "Clemont?" She felt Meyer walk up behind her and she turned to her father with a smile. "Oh hi daddy! How was the visit to the eye doctor?"

Meyer smiled warmly at his youngest and chuckled. "Ah you mean the opthamologist? Oh it went okay and your brother's got his pair - Or should I say, pairs. He's gotten a dozen of them."

Bonnie looked surprised. Now that's a lot of glasses for one person. "Wow that sure is a lot. But what is he gonna do with all of them?" Meyer shrugged slightly with an amused look. "Hm I guess he'll be keeping the rest as emergency spares? I really don't blame him for that; Glasses can really take a while to make after all. So Clemont decided to start keeping backups,"

"Ooh that's really clever," Bonnie chirped, and her face fell upon recalling the unhappy look on Clemont's face earlier. "But that doesn't explain the long face he had just now,"

Meyer's hand ran across his head as he gazed after the direction where Clemont disappeared to. "About that, I think it's because he'll have to wait for a week before he can get the first pair of glasses. So until then, your brother's as blind as a Noibat." He laughed at his own joke only for the voice of Clemont to ring from afar. It only made the father grin sheepishly while Bonnie giggled.

"I heard that!"

The father and daughter laughed to themselves still. "Typical of Clemont. The kid's modest as usual. Reminds me of his mother," He wiped a stray tear from the edge of his eye. He cast a worried glance at his eldest son with an exhale. "Oh I've got a bad feeling about this.." Bonnie looked up at her father curiously with Dedenne still on her head. "What do you mean daddy?" Meyer looked at his daughter and Bonnie could see the worry in his eyes. "You know how your brother is when he's without his glasses right? Clemont is completely blind out there and who knows what could happen?"

Bonnie couldn't help but look in wonder at her father's words. Her blue gaze set upon her older brother's figure downstairs and she watched as he tried to make his way across the room. She winced whenever Clemont would knock into a piece of furniture or trip over a Pokemon. But she tried not to worry too much. This is her Onii-chan after all, and Bonnie knew he always finds a way out of things…

She couldn't be more wrong about it that evening.

Just like Meyer had feared, the next few days came as a complete pain for Clemont. It had only been three, but suffering had already fallen upon the blonde. In the past days, the bespectacled teenager often bumped into lamp-posts, mailboxes and dozens of people and there were those times he'd go in the wrong places after misreading their signs. He also found it extremely difficult to read without putting the book right in his face and he couldn't even grab the right tools on his own whenever he worked on his inventions.

And not making things any better, looking for anyone he knew in the crowds of Lumiose City is certainly no easy task for the blinded teen; One such incident is when Clemont mistook a young man and his niece for his father and sister and it was extremely awkward.

Bonnie and Meyer on the other hand, don't know whether to keep their laughter to themselves about this or just help the troubled Clemont. The teenager had been quite adamant on handling things on his own, which made reaching out difficult for his father and sister, who can only exchange stricken looks. It is very clear to them that Clemont really needed their help, but they can't do much unless he lets them. When will he realise that he needed them? This thought lingered in the minds of the both of them and one night, Bonnie decided to talk to her brother about it.

"Clemmy are you really, absolutely, super-duper sure you don't need me and daddy to help you while you're outside?"

Bonnie asked Clemont in a whiny tone for the umpteenth time. She was in her brother's room that night and was sitting on the edge of his bed. At this time of night, Chespin, Bunnelby and Luxray are out of their pokeballs and snoozing at the foot of the bed while Clemont was just getting into his nightwear. And like most older brothers, Clemont was getting a little annoyed with the frequent whining. He took a deep breath and looked firmly at the pale yellow and brown silhouette he thought was his sister. "I told you for the millionth time Bonnie I am fine! There's nothing to worry about, really!"

"Uhh you're talking to the lamp again,"

Bonnie pointed out flatly, causing Clemont to squint at her direction. The elder groaned in embarrassment and facepalmed. "Oh Arceus are you kidding me?" He pinched his nose bridge and grunted before continuing. This time, making sure he faced his sister for real. He gave Bonnie a ruffle on her head. "Look I really appreciate the offer Bonnie, but let your big brother handle this. I can make it, trust me. I can get on easy myself." He smiled a bit and tried to lead Bonnie outside. "Now you'd better get to sleep now, it's past your bedtime." He took Bonnie to a door…

"That's the closet Clemont," Groaned Bonnie, and She wound up getting out of the room herself.

Once out of Clemont's hearing range, Bonnie sighed to herself and she was noticed by Meyer. The older man had been pretty aware on what his little girl's up to. So he decided to check up on Bonnie. "So, how did it go sweetie? Did you get anything out of Clemont yet?" To his dismay, Bonnie shook her head. "No daddy. I tried to offer him my help but he says he can do it all by himself and doesn't need any," She looked worried at what she said next. "He was talking to the lamp instead of me the first time and next he took me to the closet instead of outside,"

Meyer looked very alarmed when he heard this, and Bonnie had pressed herself closer to her father with a look of despair. "Daddy what are we gonna do with Clemmy? I'm scared for him - What if he gets hurt out there or worse? Do you really think he can take care of himself?" The older man closed his eyes with a deep breath and picked up his daughter for an assuring cuddle. "Oh for as long as he keeps saying that, I'm afraid there's really nothing much we can do for him sweetie." He put on a positive smile for Bonnie. "But hey now, this is your big brother the Gym Leader we're talking about. The least we can do is have faith in him until he comes to us at last."

With that being said, Meyer hugged his daughter one more time and Bonnie felt a little better, hugging him back. Since it was Clemont who insisted, Bonnie and Meyer gradually lessened with their fussing over him until they stopped altogether. Clemont was relieved by this it seemed, but regardless, his father and sister never stopped worrying about him and they often kept an eye on him when they can. They especially hoped that one day, anytime soon, Clemont would surrender and go to them for help at last. But sadly it didn't come so fast for them. It took them quite a while; Until finally by surprise, the father and daughter have achieved their call to intervene. But the situation was far from pretty...

It just so happened that Meyer had been called by a Nurse Joy to come and fetch Clemont from the Pokemon Center's emergency room; It was truly an alarming news. Clemont had gotten in an accident with a flock of wild Pokemon and sustained injuries from their attacks. In a fit of panic, Meyer wasted no time in getting on his motorcycle with Bonnie and they made it to the Pokemon Center.

Neither of them were prepared to see Clemont sitting on one of the patient beds holding an ice pack to the side of his face and he was covered in scratch marks; Even his jumpsuit had slash mark tears on them and there had been crimson stains from bleeding. Fortunately Nurse Joy had cleaned his wounds and now the teen was in solemn quiet waiting for his father to come. That silence was broken the moment Meyer and Bonnie dashed in through the double doors.

"Clemont!"

The blonde teenager slowly looked up to acknowledge his father and sister with a sullen expression. "Hey dad, Bonnie." His voice was soft, laced with pain and solemnity. Meyer gave his eldest child one of his signature bear hugs with Bonnie hugging her brother from the side. Once the hug is finished, Meyer gave his son a firm, but worried look. "Alright, I believe something has happened to you son. Care to tell your worried-to-death father and sister about it?"

"Yeah Clemmy spill the beans! Daddy and I are so worried about you!" Bonnie added with her cheeks puffed up in a pout.

Clemont sighed and looked in defeat. After what happened he was in no state, or mood, to object. "I was on my way home from the Prism Tower when…" The teen began to recount the unfortunate tale with his family listening on.

There, Clemont revealed that he was getting home from Gym Leader duties when he didn't realise that he was walking into the wrong lane of the city. This lane led to a ledge in the forest and Clemont's eyesight was too weak to acknowledge the warning sign on a nearby tree. As expected, he tripped over the ledge and slid down, until he knocked into a tree, hard. And that tree was home to a flock of wild Fletchinder and Fletchling…

"And that's how I got these,"

Clemont pointed to his ointment covered scratches before lifting the ice pack away from his face, revealing a nasty bruise. "This came from hitting that tree and of course it hurts Bonnie," He eyed his little sister before she could ask. The teenager then heaved a sigh of heavy shame. He could feel the disappointed gazes of Meyer and Bonnie bore into him and he knew he was wrong in the first place. "This is all my fault. I was so stubborn and confident thinking I could handle a week without my glasses but.. It turns out to be a big mistake on my part."

Meyer and Bonnie saw the display of guilt and they sat closer to him. The father wore a grim, but soft expression. "Make that, a very big mistake Clemont. You've never gone this long without your glasses and look at where it's gotten you. Thank Arceus you didn't break any of your legs or get burned by those Fletchinder!"

Clemont winced at the risen tone of his father. It wasn't long however before Meyer calmed a bit and placed his hand on his son's shoulder with worry still evident in his eyes. "Why didn't you let me or Bonnie help you? If you did then you wouldn't have gotten hurt like this,"

The blonde teen couldn't bear to look at his father with the shame bubbling within him. His head remained lower as he explained. "I just didn't want to be a bother to any of you. You and Bonnie didn't need glasses like I did; This problem is on me, so I have to learn how to adjust. Who knows when this might happen again? At least I won't be a burden to my own father or sister by then.."

"Don't say that Clemont!"

A high-pitched, determined outburst came from Bonnie, surprising Clemont. The child gripped onto her brother's suit and her glare alone said she's not to be messed with at the moment. "You can't say things like that Clemmy! You're never a burden to daddy and me! Honest!"

When Clemont cast her an expression of uncertainty, the younger girl slid off the bed so she can stand in front of her brother with her face in his. "Do you remember back when we were still travelling with Ash and Serena? I was always running around and worrying you sick but you never give up on me! You see I'm being a lot worse than you before wasn't I?"

The two male Lémons blinked at their youngest member in surprise. Did Bonnie just reference herself like that? The younger girl too looked surprised at herself for revealing this. But she cuddled up to Clemont with a soft smile. "If you never see me as burden even when I do all of that, then it's the same with you and me and daddy! Just like you always look after me, I wanna help look after you too!"

Meyer rubbed his son's head. "Your sister's right at that one son. No matter what, a family always helps each other when they need it and that goes for you too. Don't ever think it doesn't apply to you again, is that understood?" It did not take Clemont a second longer to say 'Yes' and he was embraced by both his father and sister. The teenager smiled weakly, just thinking how lucky he was to have such a great family who always kept their eye on him.

After things were cleared within Clemont and the family, the trio returned home and bed was the first place where Clemont had gone to; This time, he willingly let Bonnie escort him to the bed and it spared him from any more bumps along the way. The next days began to go easier with Clemont since he began letting Bonnie and Meyer assist him outdoors. Mostly it was Bonnie who'd act as Clemont's eyes on the street since Meyer had to work at the shop with Ampharos; But in the few cases where Bonnie can't lend a hand, the family settled on having one of their Pokemon act as a Guide for Clemont's temporary blindness. Luxray was the best choice since he had the sharpest vision and is big enough to hold Clemont on his back should a rough situation occur.

The days of woe and blind agony's long finished for Clemont and he went through the rest of the week much easier than before. And soon enough, the week of blindness had come to an end and Clemont's glasses are ready for pickup at last. That very day, Clemont, with the guidance of Bonnie, made it safetly to the opthamologist and claimed his first pair from the set.

The teenager had never been so happy to have those rounded spectacles sitting on the bridge of his nose again and he truly missed the enhanced vision the lenses provided him. "And it was all thanks to you, dad and Luxray, Bonnie. Thank you so much for bearing with me!" Clemont was smiling at the girl with great joy. Bonnie giggled and threw her arms around Clemont in a cuddle. "You're welcome Clemmy! It was so fun being your eyes too! I hope I can do it again soon~!"

She gave a cheeky look at the last sentence to which Clemont rolled his eyes in response. He hoped it will be ages to come before that. Having his sister like that is fun, but the brother would rather choose being with glasses than being blind on the streets anytime!

**Another request from MaMcMu :D Hope you enjoyed this! Requests are still open!**


	5. Grieving Together

**Warning: Mentions of character death up ahead.**

Misery continued to hang over the Lémon household like a raincloud. It hadn't left, but it should eventually. At least, that's what they always say. Clemont for once, found those words merely going through his ear and exiting the other. No matter what was said, no matter what consolation is given, they cannot bring Eliza back. The eleven-year-old felt the tears threaten to spill again - He hastily rubbed them away. No. He's done this at the wake and funeral already. His mother's gone now; He had to move on… He's cried enough hasn't he?

Clemont closed his eyes with a shuddered exhale. Making sure his puffy eyes are free from evidence of tears, he laid his hand on the door that led to the bedroom across his; The room of his little sister Bonnie, the very same baby Clemont had bonded with the moment Meyer and Eliza had taken her home. The boy couldn't help but wonder how the young toddler is taking things since Eliza's passing.

Now that he thought about it, he's hardly seen much of Bonnie during the long days before their mother's burial. If he recalled correctly, the toddler had been distracted within the care of their uncle Colress for the toddler is far too young to partake in the preparations - While Clemont and Meyer had to be the stronger ones in order to face arranging things with Eliza.

In all honesty, Clemont was a tiny bit relieved his little sister was spared from all this. Little Bonnie was so innocent and sunny at three years of age and she was "Just like Eliza when she was that young," as quoted by Colress; The elder sibling of Eliza. In fact, she was so innocent that she had no clue on why everyone around her has been crying recently. It made the toddler sad and attempt to give comfort like most sweet youngsters, but she did not know. Oh Arceus she did not know…

Shutting these thoughts away, Clemont took a deep breath and gingerly opened the door. To his surprise, the room is silent and the boy did not hear the sounds of toys being played with or any playful noise from Bonnie. He tried opening the door further only to feel it bump into something; A wary growl sounded and it came from a dandelion yellow canine-like Pokemon with a white collar and jagged sparks for fur approached.

It was Eliza's Jolteon, the partner she had left behind. Since her trainer's burial, the Jolteon now remained in Bonnie's room without leaving; Either grieving for her trainer or fulfilling the duty of watching Bonnie as Eliza used to instruct her.

"Hey Jolteon. It's me," Whispered Clemont to the Pokemon.

Taking a second to comphrehend the presence of her former trainer's son, Jolteon calmed down and she let out a whimper. "Jolt…" Clearly even she felt the pain of loss and Clemont felt a pang of heartache. He knelt to offer his hand to the electric Eeveelution then slowly began to pet it. "I know. You miss my mom too huh?" The Jolteon continued to rub its scruffy head against Clemont's palm in silence. The boy sighed a little. "We shouldn't keep crying for her. She wouldn't want that; She'd want us to keep living and not cry for her all the time. She'd want you to keep watching over Bonnie…"

The boy tensed a bit at mentioning his sister and looked around the place. Strangely Bonnie was nowhere to be seen on the carpeted floor or on her little desk drawing pictures. "Where is she?" Clemont's hushed question was immediately answered by Eliza's Jolteon and she turned to point her head to the closet. The curtains were drawn closed much to Clemont's curiosity and he raised a brow. Normally when Bonnie is in the closet, she is giggling and talking to any of the family Pokemon when they're with her. She is definitely in the closet, Clemont could tell. But the silence was eating him. Why is Bonnie so quiet?

The instinct to check on her washing over him, Clemont went to the closet and slowly drew a part of the curtain away. "Bonnie? Are you there?" He peered inside the dark space using the light from outside as his only source. It didn't take long for him to find his target. "There you are, you had me worried," The preteen crept into the closet and went closer to the pile of quilts that hid his baby sister from view. The toddler remained quiet, her back facing her brother and it worried Clemont. "Bonnie?" He was about to touch the child's shoulder only to stiffen at what he saw.

Bonnie was holding a framed photograph of the whole Lémon family together; The four of them, the family Pokemon and even uncle Colress with his Magnezone. Eliza is sitting happily pressed between her twin and Meyer looking happily at the camera with her children on her lap. Clemont painfully remembered that photo being taken during one of Colress' visits, a much happier time. A time where Eliza didn't look so frail and sickly compared to the months before her passing. It was no wonder none of them could sense that she was ill.

Focusing on his sister now, Clemont felt concern wash over him now that he saw Bonnie in this state. He knelt beside her with a hand on her back. "Why do you have this Bonnie?" He gently asked, eyeing the picture. Part of him couldn't help but smile in sad nostalgia at seeing it. The toddler looked up at her brother and back at the picture with a sad look. "I like looking at it, that's why. We are all so happy and mommy is still there."

Clemont breathed with nostalgia. "Ha. Yeah I remember that time. We were so happy back then…"

The toddler beside him stared at the picture still and her hand slowly went to touch the smiling face of Eliza. Bonnie quivered a bit, it did not go unnoticed by Clemont. But he was not prepared for what Bonnie said next. "Is uncle Colress telling the truth Big Brother? Is mommy.. Really not coming back anymore?"

These words struck Clemont like a literal lightning bolt. His heart threatening to shatter at Bonnie's words, he wanted to assure the girl the opposite. But nothing came out - And Bonnie got the message clearly. The girl is crying now, and tears began to stream down her cheeks. She held the picture close to her heart.

"I knew it."

"Bonnie…"

The blue and yellow sleeved arms of Clemont wasted no second in wrapping around the distraught toddler. His heart broke the moment Bonnie began to cry into his chest. "I want mommy back… Why did she have to go? Does she not love us anymore?" The toddler whimpered looking at her brother, blue eyes filled with despair. Clemont gave a quiet gasp and shook his head. "No, Bonnie, no of course mom loves us! She loves you, me and dad very much.."

"Then why did she leave us?"

Clemont bit his lip and looked away. The gears in his mind got working on thinking how he could explain to his little sister. "Well, she didn't want to leave us. She only did because.. she didn't have a choice." He held Bonnie close to him. "She was sick for a long time. And because she was sick, it damaged her body until it stops working. Mom's body did, and that's why she's not moving anymore."

Bonnie weakly lifted her head. "So she's just like your old magnemite toy? Broken and not working anymore because of the mud?" Clemont shrugged after a moment's silence, "Kind of like that… But you're getting the idea now." He felt the little girl hug him extra tighter with a whimper. Clemont ran his fingers across her head. "Is there something wrong?" Bonnie shook her head and sighed. "No. I just wanna make sure your body doesn't break like mommy's. And when it does I'll try and fix you."

Clemont felt her words grasp him like claws. He mentally cursed himself for not mentioning the 'unfixable' part sooner. But that aside, he was beyond touched by the sweet words this child just provided. He chuckled shakily and held Bonnie tighter with his chin atop her head. "Aw that's really nice of you Bonnie.. But don't worry, it will be a long time before you have to do that. I'm still a kid after all," He gently kissed her forehead and nuzzled it with his own. "Just remember this. You still have your dad and brother right here with you and we will always love you Bonnie."

The preteen continued to hug the toddler as the latter hugged him back with a tearful little smile. They stayed that way for the rest of the minutes that pass until Bonnie passed out; Asleep in the arms of her beloved Onii-chan with their mother's Jolteon lying close.

**And this is pretty much the kids after Eliza dies to an illness. Poor innocent Bonnie :'( But don't worry she's gonna be fine~ She's got the best big brother and father after all. And yeah that 'Uncle Colress' is the very one you think he is. I just find myself hooked on with the headcanons of Colress and Clemont being related (found on Tumblr!). **


	6. Nightmare

Night time had long fallen upon Kalos and everyone in the cities have begun to drift into dreamland after a hard day's work. Lumiose City is one of them and the city of light still glowed like it was named for. Locals can still be seen outside, but they're lesser than in the day for most have already gone to bed. The Lémons are just getting to that after having their supper before bed. Tonight however was a bit different for it was just the kids and their Pokemon at home. Meyer and his Ampharos are out tending to a customer in a farther city. So that night, it was just Clemont and Bonnie and the older sibling was put in charge of things.

Luckily for him, Bonnie had been on her best behaviour today and all Clemont had as a downside by day's end was Bonnie getting dirty after playing - Which rewarded the little girl a fun shower from the hose in the backyard. The little girl had long fallen asleep with Dedenne in her arms afterward and Clemont had gone to his own room not long after. The day has come and gone perfectly leading to the next few hours of night calm. The two siblings and their Pokemon managed to sleep ever so peacefully as well. However, it wasn't until sometime later when the slumber of a certain little girl was interrupted by fear. In her bed, Bonnie was frowning. She was restlessly tossing and turning...

Bonnie woke up to find herself in a strange place. Something about it seemed familiar somehow. Judging by the many contraptions, the glass chamber and dozens of controls littering the room, it appeared to be a part of someone's laboratory. It was dark with only the dimly glowing green illuminating everything in sight. The light came from the glass chamber containing a few Zygarde cores, the very ones Xerosic still had and Bonnie had seen them when she, Ash, Pikachu and Serena together with Greninja broke in to save Clemont… Wait a minute.

"That big man with red glasses..."

The girl muttered to herself in recalling as her eyes have widened with fear. She had seen that Team Flare member a few times in the past and those times weren't the prettiest - They made Bonnie mostly angry and at the same time, terrified. First, her beloved Squishy was forced to rampage after Xerosic managed to control it with that machine. And the next, Xerosic, during his search for Zygarde cells, had come across Bonnie and the others and kidnapped Clemont to later turn him into the first 'Advanced Human' with the same device used to control Squishy.

The more she thought about it, the more anxious Bonnie became as she slowly realised. This is the exact same lab where she together with Ash, Serena and Greninja broke in to save Clemont only to find him 'brainwashed' by Xerosic. "W-What am I doing here? Dedenne? Clemont? A-Anybody?" Blue eyes continued to scan the area with rising fear and the urge to burst into tears.

Nobody is in sight except for her and fear rocketed within her - The strange absence of the elephant in the room isn't making things any better. Where is Xerosic? And where is her brother? Ash and Serena can't be here anymore, Bonnie knew. They've already gone to different places now. So that leaves only Clemont…

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here~!"

A crude, taunting voice belonging to a man made Bonnie squeak with surprise. The next thing she knew, she found herself face to face with a very familiar face; The last face that Bonnie never, ever, wanted to remember. The pale skinned figure stepped out of the dark corners of the lab and the lighting illuminated his crimson lenses and uniform. His dark smile is enough to send Bonnie into hysterics, but she tried to act brave, putting on her 'fierce' face. "Y-You again?! How did you get out? I thought the Officer Jennys put you away forever!"

Xerosic pretended to look shocked and had a hand to his chest in 'fear'. "Oh they did, did they? Ha! That's priceless!" He smirked with a snap of his fingers to summon two Pokemon from the shadows - Crobat and Malamar. "They are no match for me and oh! They definitely won't be once they face Team Neo Flare in full power once again! All of you will pay for foiling with my plans and you will all bow down, before me!" He cackled nastily before the girl and Bonnie was shaking terribly. Her eyes darted around her in desperate search for only one person.

"C-Clemont? Clemont where are you?" Bonnie's voice was high with anxiety that's threatening to burst any second. No matter which angle she looked, there was no sign of her brother and her heart was pounding in her chest. She cried out at Xerosic, unable contain herself any longer. "You took him again didn't you? Where is he? Where is my big brother!?"

The pale skinned man smiled eerily, suddenly looking as if Bonnie brought up something to be proud of. "Hmph, where he is as of now is highly classified. But since you asked me 'so nicely', I suppose I might as well tell you," Xerosic took in the second of hopefulness on Bonnie's expression before crushing that in an instant. "You see, the moment I slipped away from those Jennys I knew I was going to have that pathetic kid as the first to interfere with my plans of collecting all of the Zygarde cells again. So to spare myself from such trouble I did the one thing I should've done to him the first time I grabbed him…"

Xerosic chuckled and he casually paced before the child, hands rubbing like they were fresh from asphyxiating someone. "Ah you my dear had such a strong brother. You should have seen him when I had Malamar bring him in with psychic. Oh how he struggled, shouted, writhed like a Weedle until he broke free from the psychic. It's a shame really, all his fighting is done for nothing." His hands clenched together and a devilish grin formed on his face; Bonnie could have sworn she saw his lenses glint with evil.

Bonnie could no longer control her tears at this point. "I don't understand.. W-What did you do to Clemont? What did you do?!" She screamed the last three words.

Xerosic only smiled more. "Do you really want to know?" He tittered before his smile turned sinister. "Fine then," He pulled out a walkie-talkie device from his pocket to speak into it, never taking his manic gaze off of Bonnie. "Unit One, calling in Unit One! Please report to the lab, Xerosic out." His words caused Bonnie to blink in utter confusion. Unit One? Those two words suddenly seemed familiar. It was fuzzy for Bonnie had only heard it once; But it wasn't until she heard the sound of doors sliding open and smoke began to pour out.

A dark silhouette began to form in the fog and it was advancing towards the two. The only thing that stood out is the electric yellow light emitting from the visors. The figure's shape grew clearer from the fog's dissipating and it stopped. Now Bonnie could get a clear glimpse of the figure - But it was a face that made her heart stop. Her lower lip hung and quivered with tremendous shock, eyes never leaving the figure. No.. It can't be!

The figure was no one other than her own brother.

Clemont stood stiffly before his master and Bonnie, the fog fully dying out now and his full appearance is revealed. The teenager is dressed in Team Flare uniform resembling what Xerosic and his cronies wore only it had a yellow pieces like the tie and even the lenses on his mechanical visors. The sixteen-year-old's expression was a blank stare with his otherwise lifeless eyes being hidden behind the visor; Bonnie didn't need seeing to believe that something is beyond off with her brother. But due to the negative worries ready to explode within her, the girl cried out to him in relief.

"Clemont! You're alive! Did the big meanie hurt you?"

Poor Bonnie had no idea what she's in for. In her sheer distress she expected at least one mention of her name from Clemont's unmoving mouth - But there was none. The teen continued to stand emotionlessly in place and Xerosic began to chuckle, clearly amused by the little girl's attempts. "Oh me? Hurt him? I did no such thing~!" He taunted in a singsong manner. He sauntered to Clemont and casually held the teen with one arm around him. "Your brother here is the one who let me do the job. All I did was threaten him with your life - Which means you are partly to blame in hurting him, my dear."

Xerosic's lenses glistened with evil and he cackled once more, enjoying the horrible shock on Bonnie's face. His words played through her mind again and again. _You're the one who hurt him._ The more she thought about it, the more she began to realise the truth in it and she could literally see the scenario in her head; Being stubborn as he is, Clemont refuses no matter how much agony is laid upon him - Until Xerosic resorted to a final blackmail that finally broke the gym leader into hysterics. It was then did Xerosic become satisfied and have Malamar knock out Clemont for the deed, ending the vision just like that.

Tears of anguish streamed down Bonnie's face and she fell to her hands and knees. But as much as Xerosic's words cut her like a knife, a part of her felt that it was only lies coming from the man; Clemont told her plenty about him after all. "You're lying! My brother would never give in to you even if you're controlling him!" She boldly retorted to Xerosic before setting her frightened, but desperation-filled eyes on Clemont. "Big Brother I know you can hear me in there! Please! Snap out of it! He's controlling you again - You can't let him do whatever he wants with you!"

Clemont did not move, nor did his expression falter even a bit.

Xerosic clicked in false sympathy and he brushed away a stray tear resulting from his laughter. "Oh your efforts are futile, child! He can't hear you, not anymore!" He grinned at Clemont as he casually wrapped an arm around him. "You don't hear a thing from that girl now do you Unit One?" He earned a stiff nod from Clemont and the man smirked at Bonnie. "See? Face it my dear. Your brother belongs to me now and together we will lead Team Neo Flare!"

The blonde child before him quivered terribly. She screwed her eyes shut. "N-No! My brother will never agree to that!"

Bonnie cried out with all bravery she could master. Despite that however, her eyes are leaking tears and Xerosic knew he's succeeded in breaking her. Just one more push and he could either get Bonnie brainwashed and working for his side, or, he could have his 'Unit One' dispose of her corpse… The latter became his final option.

"My poor child. That is indeed true but I hate to tell you that at this point, your brother is gone. Dead the moment I shot him with my enhanced controlling system." Xerosic wore a look of false pity. "But if it provides you any consolation, I made his last seconds of life at peace by promising that I wouldn't turn you into an advanced human - Just like he badly pleaded me to." He paused for dramatic effect. "Which is why I have another plan for you."

Bonnie shakily looked up at him with teary eyes. "What are you going to do? … Kill me?"

Xerosic doubled over in a fit of laughter at Bonnie's statement. "What? _Me?_ Kill you? Oh no! No of course I wouldn't do that heehee!" He shook his head in regaining himself - Before his expression morphed into an enormous grin. "_He_ is." He snapped his fingers at Clemont's direction. "Unit One? I have a request for you." He pointed towards Bonnie. "You see that girl over there? I want you to do the honors," He reached into his uniform pocket to pull out a lethal looking weapon.

He gave the weapon to Clemont, and the teenager accepted it.

Bonnie's blood turned cold at the terrible realisation; She felt faint. Brainwashed or not, surely Clemont would have fought hard against the option of pulling the trigger on his own sister? He can't be that weak! Does he even know what he's doing? She felt tears threaten to spill once again as she cast her distraught eyes on Clemont. "B-Big brother?"

As usual, not a response. Not a falter, nor a sound. But that was nothing compared to what happened next. Xerosic gave Clemont a nod, turning back to Bonnie. "She'll be of no use to Team Neo Flare. Unit One, I want you to end her. Make it as painful as possible if you don't mind." And to his leader's command, Clemont turned to face Bonnie, the yellow glass of his visors glinting with the mood to kill.

"As you wish, Xerosic sir."

Clemont's tone sounded mechanical; Lifeless as it had been the first time Bonnie heard it and it came crashing down to her. That was not her brother. Standing right before her is a mindless slave who is about to become the cause of her death.

Barely holding back a cry of terror, Bonnie began to stumble back in panic. She didn't see Xerosic's Malamar sweep behind her. A startled yelp escaped Bonnie's mouth and she found herself being trapped by Malamar. The restrained girl tried to struggle against them but to no avail. Clemont already had the weapon pointed towards her and out came an ear-splitting sound.

Bonnie's life flashed before her eyes; Memories of her father, Ash and Serena.. And her brother; Back when he looked much more alive and made sure Bonnie is loved and cared for with his life. She will never see that again. The light cut off as Bonnie cried in pure agony - The last thing she said being a cry for her brother, and she saw him and Xerosic breaking into snide grins as they watched her die in her own blood…

"Ah!"

Bonnie shot up with a frenzied expression looking around wildly in her panic. Her pupils have shrunken from the anxiety and she found herself in her own bedroom. Was it only a bad dream? The girl had never been so freaked out by a nightmare - To her it felt so real, she even reached to her torso where she saw Clemont shoot her. There was none of course, but poor Bonnie was terrorized.

Her panicked gaze set on the door and she sprinted out; Accidentally disturbing Dedenne and the mouse pokemon landed on the floor with a plop. "De ne? De ne ne!" The orange mouse squeaked and scampered after the upset Bonnie. She is going straight for her brother's room. To her horror, the door was open and Clemont was not in bed. The covers looked like they have been thrown off in a haste, causing the fear to spike within Bonnie some more. "Oh no…" The girl began to hyperventilate as she scanned her surroundings. She bolted downstairs with that one horrifying thought in her mind; Xerosic has taken her brother.

"Clemont! Big brother where are you?! _Clemmy!" _

Her terribly distraught cries for her older sibling rang throughout the house. There was no sign of Clemont in the house at all and it made Bonnie even more terrified. Unknown to her, her anguished cries aren't unheard and they have reached the ears of a certain someone who was just outside the house - The one she was desperately looking for.

Clemont recognised the voice at once and it caused him to gasp, azure eyes filling with alarm; There was only one person in the house with that voice. "Bonnie?!" His head turned to the direction of the cries and they definitely belong to his sister. His anxiety and protective instinct raising, the teen wasted no time in going back to the house - Grabbing a broom along the way in case he needed to whack a burglar on the head. A dozen thoughts flooded his panicked mind at once. Had someone broken in? Was it a wild Pokemon? Was Bonnie hurt?

The back door was slammed open and Clemont ran in panting heavily. "Bonnie?! Bonnie where are you I'm right here! Bonnie!" His panic-filled eyes scanned the house for any sight of his distressed sister and any possible thief. He stiffened upon hearing hurried footsteps from upstairs and was quick to raise the broom in preparing to make a hit, thinking it was a stranger attempting to make a getaway. He braced himself as the footsteps grew faster and louder; He stopped himself from swinging the broom down the moment Bonnie came running in crying.

"Big brother! Big brother you're okay! You're okay!"

Clemont nearly fell back when Bonnie went colliding into him in a tight squeeze. "Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be-!" His words were cut short by the cries - Bonnie was wailing loudly in his waist and wrapping it in a vice-grip embrace. The older brother gasped when he felt just how scared his sister is. He could feel her heart literally pounding in her chest and he could immediately tell from her intense crying - This is not an ordinary display of fear; Bonnie was deathly terrified and never did Clemont see her cry like this.

The elder couldn't help but wonder what made Bonnie cry like this. Asking her was out of the question for the girl was too upset and Clemont focused on calming her down first; He knelt to her level to take her in his arms, softly hushing the child all the while whispering soothing words to her. "It's okay Bonnie, I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere," Clemont gently rubbed her back as the young girl continued to cry. Her sobs slowly began to grow lesser, but that did not slow down her rapid pulse, or her unsteady breathing and sobbing. It wasn't long before Clemont felt Bonnie's legs give way beneath her and the girl nearly slid off him if it weren't for his hold on her. Bonnie had passed out…

About half an hour since she lost consciousness, Bonnie began to stir and she opened her eyes halfway. They were still slightly red and puffy from her crying fit and her cheeks had dried tear stains running down. "Hmm.." She groaned a bit and sat up. She was greeted by the familiar scent of lemon, paper and metal, a comforting combination of smell she often found around Clemont. The girl took in her surroundings and she realised she is in Clemont's room. Beside her, Dedenne had just sensed his caretaker's awake and he nuzzled Bonnie's arm.

Bonnie took a deep breath and she stroked the Pokemon behind the ears. "I'm okay Dedenne.. I was just worried for Clemmy that's all." She murmured to which Dedenne looked in sad wonder. He continued to nuzzle Bonnie's palm as a soothing motion for his caretaker. It lasted until Clemont returned to the room and Bonnie felt her earlier anxiety grip her again. She tried not to break down again. "Big brother," She squeaked out and she was immediately swathed in the arms of her brother. She caught a glimpse of how worried Clemont was for her and looking back, she realised that she had been a crying wreck before passing out. "I'm sorry for being a big crybaby. I didn't mean to."

She was hushed by Clemont at that sentence and the elder looked at her with softness. "You shouldn't apologise for being scared Bonnie. It's especially okay for everybody to cry sometimes when they are," He swallowed briefly and continued to caress his sister on the head, just as she loved it whenever she was sad. Now came the stressing part; Getting Bonnie to talk to him. "Why were you worrying about me? I never went far away - I was only near our backyard because I couldn't sleep."

Bonnie averted her gaze. A small part of her is afraid to tell Clemont in fear of hurting his feelings. But when she met Clemont's eyes, she was emotionally stung in seeing how sad and worried her brother is - She can see it in his eyes. It was a sight her heart can never say no to. She sighed looking down, knowing she'll have to tell him. "I was worrying about you because of this really bad dream I had. I was in this lab. It was dark, and scary… It's the exact same one we were in last time. And then I saw him..."

Clemont looked tense. "Who did you see?"

Bonnie screwed her eyes shut to fight back tears. "It was that big meanie with the red clothes. The one who took Squishy's friends, and you." Her description caused Clemont to look disturbed. Bonnie began to cling to him. "I asked him what he's doing back there and he said he was going to start his Team again to finish what he started.." She snivelled a bit and Clemont snapped out of his stunned silence. His heart now dreaded to hear the rest of Bonnie's story. But his need to comfort her outweighed that. "... Did Xerosic do anything else?" He regretted asking that in an instant when Bonnie began to cry into his chest. Clemont internally cursed himself. He rubbed Bonnie's back. "You don't have to tell me.. You can stop right there."

But Bonnie did not. She shook her head in between sobs. "N-No.. I can do it! I can't hide this from you…" She whimpered and felt around for Clemont's hand due to her eyes being shut and her face is buried in her brother - The elder sibling took it in his, giving it assuring squeezes. "I got you, don't worry." Bonnie looked at him and she sniffled. 'Don't let go.' Her teary eyes seemed to say.

She rubbed her eyes, and she began to continue. "So that big man wanted to start Team Neo Flare again and continue his plans to catch Squishy's friends. And then I got scared. I started to look for you but you weren't there! And that was when he told me.. He said he caught you! A-And he wasn't going to let you stop him so he did something really scary…" She began to hiccup in sobs. Her hold on Clemont's hand grew tighter. "I-I didn't know what it w-was at first… B-But then he started to c-call for someone… And y-you appeared!" She grew hysterical at this point. "Y-You looked exactly like that bad man's workers and when I t-tried to call you *sob* you d-didn't listen and he said *sob* he said you were gone! You couldn't hear me anymore And… and… He told you to kill me and when you did.. *sob* That's when I woke up.."

The room became deathly silent save for Bonnie's muffled crying. Clemont had never felt so anguished in his life. He killed his own sister in her dream! Hearing this kind of nightmare coming from Bonnie stabbed his heart deeper than the sharpest object and it was something that disturbed him far more than his own nightmare. It may have only been a dream but the fact that it was so realistic enough to scare Bonnie like that and is not to mention, based on an actual event, it sickened the teen to the core. The thought alone of him being partial nightmare fuel for Bonnie is enough to send Clemont into tears - But he can't, not in front of his sister. She needs him.

With a shuddered breath and rapid blinks to fight tears, Clemont scooped Bonnie onto his lap to hug her close to his heart. "Oh Bonnie that's terrible I.. I'm so sorry you had to dream of something like that," He sounded guilty at that, but then he swallowed it down. He gently ran his fingers through Bonnie's hair and looked into her eyes. "But as scary it is, nightmares are never real and this one is definitely no different, I swear to Arceus. You're my little sister and I promised that I'd always love and protect you no matter what; Not even Xerosic can ever make me break that promise."

Bonnie looked up at him with tears. "R-Really?"

Clemont nodded. "Really." He sighed wearily with a hand running across his head. "Honestly? After that last encounter it's gonna take a lot more out of Xerosic to turn me into his slave." He felt the twinge of guilt creep up his heart and he held Bonnie closer. He felt the girl whimper and cling to him. "It's really scary, Big Brother, and I don't know what to do…" She looked up with puppy eyes. "Can you invent something that will get rid of nightmares forever? If you do I promise I'll eat all of my veggies for a whole year and I'll even do all of your chores! I just want that big meanie to stop bothering me at night."

The older brother just gazed at her, before melting into a knowing expression. Though he couldn't help but chortle at the girl's offers - And feel heartbroken for her at the same time. "Actually Bonnie, I can't. Because getting rid of nightmares without inventions is already possible," He paused before smiling suggestively. "And I happen to know the best method known to mankind." In response, Bonnie tilted her head curiously. "You do? What is it?"

Clemont smiled gently at her. "This," He reached to hoist Bonnie up so he could lie on the other side of the bed beside her. He allowed the girl to rest her head over one of his arms and laid the other around her - Drawing the girl close in a way that Bonnie is nestled close to his chest and Clemont's chin is atop her head. Bonnie's forehead was pressed lightly against her brother where she could feel the soft, rhythmic beating of his heart. It slowly but gradually began to sooth the child the longer she listened - The loving touch of her brother making her feel more comfortable and she felt safe.

Bonnie curled up against her brother with a small smile. "I.. I actually feel much better now." Her eyes have widened slightly with curious realisation. True to her words, she felt much more calm and her frightened state from earlier had simmered down to nothing. She hardly felt scared anymore; Clemont felt relieved at this. "It may not be able to make nightmares disappear in an instant, but believe me, hugs can help people a lot, especially when they're scared." He paused in recalling an old memory with a wistful sigh. "It was mom and uncle Colress who believed in that when they were kids and mom told this to me when I had my first nightmare."

"She did?" Bonnie's face lit up with surprise. "Wow I didn't know that!" She smiled as she was given a pet to the head by the teen. "But now you do," Clemont chuckled and he let Bonnie cuddle against him some more. The elder exhaled softly and stroked his sister's hair. Part of him isn't ready to let Bonnie on her own the rest of the night. "I think it's best you stay with me tonight. Is that okay with you?"

The little girl lifted her head up, her expression innocent. "I was gonna ask you that, but thanks Clemmy!" Clemont could only chortle in amusement. "No problem. Anything for my little sister," He gave Bonnie's forehead a soft kiss and the two siblings slept in each other's embrace; Bonnie did not get disrupted a single time after that. Her slumber is finally made at peace and it's all thanks to the one she called her Big Brother.

**This one's a gift for a friend on DA, and also, the nightmare Bonnie has is kind of a snippet of my Team Neo Flare!Clemont AU ;) **


	7. Fevers are The Worst

Sick days are never a favourite for Bonnie at all. It made her feel all weird, tired and unable to play the way she always does. It all began yesterday when she was just waking up. For some reason she felt groggier than usual. Her forehead was burning, and she felt very chilly even though the weather is warm. She was later seen to by Meyer and he confirmed with a feel to her forehead that she had a fever, which slightly annoyed Bonnie. Is this what happens when people play in the rain without raincoats for too long? Who would've thought that could be the reason why her daddy kept bugging her to wear her raincoat.

She'll never go out in the rain without a raincoat again after this.

Bonnie moaned quietly under the quilt. Even the thick cloth isn't doing much to ease her chilliness. As hard as she tried to sleep, she was just too uncomfortable. _Restless_. But she can't stand without wobbling. The fact that she is alone until Meyer returns with the medicine didn't make things better and she felt Clemont must already be at the Gym at this point. So all she had for now was Dedenne, but even he isn't doing much except curl up beside Bonnie. At least she had someone with her. She drew the little mouse closer to her, while a quiet knock on the door sounded.

"Bonnie?"

The voice belonged to her brother, which surprised Bonnie.

"C-Come in…"

She tried her best to call out, and her older sibling is quick to enter. To add on to her surprise, Clemont looked rather untidy, like he had just woken up and merely washed up before coming here. He was still in his pyjamas too and beside him, Bunnelby carried a small towel on his head and basin of cool water in his paws. Bonnie tried to sit up, arms shaking a bit as she did. "Why aren't you at the gym, Big Brother? It's already morning…"

Clemont set his concerned gaze on his sister, feeling her forehead and found it still warm. "Dad told me you had a fever before he left." He explained, his eyes filling with pity in seeing how sick Bonnie looked. "I can't leave you all by yourself. So I had Clembot be in charge of the gym for today while I keep an eye on you," Bonnie let out a touched 'aw' and plopped her head against her brother.

"T-Thanks Clemmy.."

"You're welcome Bonnie,"

The two siblings stayed that way for a while. And then Clemont proceeded with the traditional cool-down remedy for Bonnie's condition. The wet towel felt really cold upon the girl's forehead and her face was scrunched up in slight repulse. "I feel funny with this thing," She muttered. Her brother looked on with sympathy. "I feel you. But if you want your fever to go down you have to bear with it," Clemont gently pointed out. "And besides, it could help make you feel less hot as long as you rest with that on your forehead."

Bonnie gave a disappointed pout, and then she looked in defeat. She did not want to stay like this for so long. So she had to make do with it. "How long is it gonna take? I really wanna get well right now…"

The teen sighed slightly in response. "It really depends Bonnie. Sometimes fevers last only a day while sometimes, they last longer. We never know." He looked at her with a strong assurance. "That's why every second of rest is crucial when you have a fever. That way, the longer your rest is, the faster your fever will go away. At least, that's what it seems." He patted Bonnie's head. "But don't worry, dad's getting medicine for you too. So we can make sure your fever does go away."

"That's great." Bonnie's face lit up, but melted into a pout in a second. "I just hope it doesn't take like carrots because they're yucky."

Her last sentence earned an amused chortle from Clemont and he rolled his eyes. "Of course," Bonnie smiled with approval and she tried nestling in the bed to get some rest. However, something seemed to make her stop and turn to her brother. "Big Brother?" Clemont hummed in response and acknowledged Bonnie. The little girl looked away for a second before she returned to Clemont. "Can people get fevers from being near those who have them?"

The older sibling rose a brow in surprise at Bonnie's question. "I don't think so. Why?"

He didn't receive a verbal response at first for Bonnie reached out to hold his wrist. The little girl now looked pleadingly at him. "I wanna rest beside you. I'll feel more comfy. Can I? _Pleeease?_" Even with the towel covering the topmost part of her eyes, Clemont can still see the puppy eyes she was trying to pull out. At this point the older sibling didn't need any cute antic from Bonnie to win him over. His baby sister is sick; And Clemont will gladly do anything to make her comfortable.

It didn't take long for the older brother to get settled in the bed beside Bonnie. The moment he was, the little girl managed to get her upper half on top of him and she nestled close. The side of her face pressed against his chest directly where she could hear his heartbeat while her arms feebly wrapped around his torso. With his arm going beneath and around Bonnie, Clemont helped keep the wet towel from flopping off her forehead and he couldn't help but smile feeling Bonnie get extra comfortable with him. He could tell she is resting a lot easier now too, which relieved him greatly.

He gave Bonnie a soft kiss on top of her head and rested the side of his face against it. "Get well soon, little sister. You'll be better again in no time." He closed his eyes in wistful silence, relishing in his sister's love and closeness to him…

Sometime later at noon, Meyer already returned with the medicine and he was bringing some of it up along with lunch for Bonnie. Naturally, the father couldn't stop worrying about his baby despite it being just a fever. He loved Bonnie deeply with his whole heart and it's exactly the same with Clemont; No matter how minor the sickness is, it is never a relaxing matter for Meyer for as long as his two children are involved. Bonnie's room was next in Meyer's destination line and he slowly opened the door.

Clemont was in a sitting-up position in Bonnie's bed with his little sister sprawled over his torso; Bunnelby laid with Dedenne at the foot of the bed snoozing. The young inventor looked up from his book to see his father looking at him and Bonnie with a touched expression.

Setting the lunch and medicine on a nearby table, Meyer quietly approached the bedside as to not disturb Bonnie. "Looks like somebody's really tuckered herself out." Meyer chuckled softly as he caressed Bonnie's hair, the girl remaining asleep still. "I could've sworn she was really restless before I went out. How did you get her to sleep like that?"

At his father's words, Clemont simply smiled with a shrug. "Oh, let's just say that I have a technique that never fails to knock her out and Bonnie knows what it is as well."

Meyer smiled warmly at his eldest with a raised brow. He already knew what it was and he was very proud of his son. "That's good. At least we can relax now that she's finally resting well." This earned a quiet chuckle from Clemont and both father and son kept their eye over the sleeping Bonnie. Not once did the little girl open an eye and it was clear to both male Lémons that their youngest family member is recovering smoothly at last.


	8. Scraped Knee

"Bonnie be careful! Try to take it easy out there okay?"

Clemont's call of reminding earned a nod from Bonnie and she returned to playing 'hide and chase' in the woods. She was playing with Joltie the Jolteon who had taken the challenge of being catcher. The thunder eeveelution sped past some bushes in looking for her trainer's youngest, completely unaware that Bonnie was hiding in plain view. The little girl giggled to herself when the female jolteon passed by her. "She'll never find me in here!"

Bonnie poked her head out of the bushes in search of Joltie. The dandelion yellow Pokemon was a fair distance away from her, giving Bonnie a chance to find a new hiding place. She ran at full speed giggling as she did. She was confident that she can find a good hiding spot! But then in her high confidence, she did not notice the rock jutting out the ground. Because she didn't see it, her foot got caught in it and she tripped!

The little girl yelped in shock as she fell. Her cry turned to one of agony when she felt a searing pain on her knee as the rock she tripped on scraped into it. Bonnie laid in a fetal position on her side and she was holding onto her wounded knee. She tried hard not to cry out loud, but her whimpers are loud enough for Joltie to hear.

The Jolteon had seen Bonnie fall and it was with her pained noises did Joltie know she was hurt. So the electric eeveelution dashed back to the house with only one person in mind.

It didn't take long for her to come back with a distraught Clemont. The inventor was the first to make it to Bonnie's side and the child was in a wreck. The poor girl was now crying from the pain becoming too much for her to bear. She managed to acknowledge her brother through the pain. "C-Clemmy… My knee hurts!" She sobbed, prompting her older brother to shush her. "I know, I know…" He whispered back in attempting to soothe her. Once the little girl settled down, Clemont managed to get her sitting up on a flat-tipped rock in wanting to see her knee; Joltie laid beside the child with her ears flattened back in worry.

Bonnie didn't take her hands off her impacted knee, and she refused to lift then off.

"Bonnie I have to look at your knee so I can see the damage. Please take your hands off." The brother gently pleaded with her. The little girl shook her head in tears. "I-I don't wanna look at it!" She whined. "It hurt so much, so it must be a really big scratch!" Clemont took a deep breath and laid a palm on Bonnie's cheek. "It may feel like a big scratch to you. But we never know, it could be just a small one. But we can't find out unless we see now wouldn't we?"

When the little girl nodded, Clemont turned to Joltie, who sat up. Lifting the Jolteon, Clemont carefully positioned her on Bonnie's lap away from her knees in a way that the Pokemon now blocked Bonnie's view of her knees with her ears. In the process, Bonnie had to lift her hands up and she shrieked, covering her eyes. But when she reopened them, Joltie was blocking her knees from her sight.

Clemont smiled softly. "Now you won't have to see your knee a single time. Joltie will keep you covered." The Jolteon yipped in response getting a smile from Bonnie. She held Joltie close and allowed her brother to tend to her knee; Clemont looked down to see the damage. To his light dismay, it was a nasty scrape that is still bleeding. Fortunately he had brought clean water in case he needed to wash an injury.

Bonnie tried her best not to move around too much or cry out when Clemont cleaned her wound. It was a nasty minute or two before a Pachirisu bandage was placed on Bonnie's knee. "There all done." Clemont smiled at Bonnie and let the little girl cling onto him. The teen lifted her from the rock and down to her feet, helping when Bonnie was trying to get on her injured knee.

Once she gained her footing, Bonnie now looked at the ground with an ashamed face. She knew she didn't listen to her brother when he told her to be careful, and now she's having the consequence. "I'm sorry. It's my fault I gotten hurt because I didn't listen when you said to be careful." She murmured guiltily, looking at her knee. "Next time I promise I'll play more carefully!"

Clemont gave her a small smile while rubbing her head. "That's good. That way you won't get another scrape so easily." He rose a brow. "But really, you don't have to let this stop you from playing what you like. You can take care, but at the same time you can have fun the way you like." He grinned sheepishly with a hand running across his head. "You know? When I was your age I actually got a scrape like yours too."

Bonnie looked surprised, her eyes widening. "Really? Where is it?" She scanned Clemont's knees even though they were still covered by his jumpsuit. Clemont chuckled slightly and rolled up the blue cloth, revealing his uncovered knee.

Below the joint was a pale nick which remained from an old injury. His finger pointed to it. "I got this one when I was trying to use a skateboard but I didn't look out for the crack in the road which caused me to fall. And this wasn't the only one, I got a lot more! But most of them are gone now - This is the only one that remained."

"Oh? How come?" Asked Bonnie curiously.

Clemont sighed wistfully in recalling. "Oh, it's a long story. My very first skateboard trip only gave me stitches at the end of the day. It was kinda on me because I wasn't being careful." He released the clothing and it covered his knee again. He stood up to face Bonnie. "So you see, this is why I'm telling you to be careful yourself. I don't want you to end up like me in playing so carelessly."

Bonnie nodded in understanding. "I understand now Big Brother. Thank you for telling me this," She smiled and cuddled her brother's arm. "From now on I'll really be more careful when I play! But of course, I'll still be playing my favourite games." She added innocently, causing Clemont to shake his head in amusement. He may be unable to stop her from playing 'hide and chase'. But he hoped Bonnie would at least take this lesson to heart for the rest of her life and take care of herself when she plays.

**Just a wee info update; The name of Eliza's Jolteon is now Joltie **


	9. Stormy Night

The night was stormy over Lumiose City but most of its locals are already sleeping through the loud thunder and lightning; Except for one little girl as she shivered violently in her covers. Every time thunder exploded, it sent Bonnie whimpering and trying to hide deeper in the quilt. And every time lightning flashed in the dark sky, it sent the chills down her spine seeing that white jagged crack flash out of nowhere.

On the floor beneath her bed, Dedenne was already fast asleep in his little nest box. Being an electric type, storms are nothing to the tiny mouse and he slept on without a cringe; In fact, every time there was thunder or lightning, Dedenne curled in more comfortably.

"I wish I can be like that.."

Bonnie muttered to herself seeing Dedenne so comfy while she's freaking out from the environment. She shook her head under the pillows. It shouldn't be like this - She's in Lumiose City, the city of light! And she's the sister of Kalos' electric type gym leader and the daughter of the best electrical technician there ever is! She shouldn't be afraid of storms, it doesn't seem right at all… She's not like them. And at this rate, it's possible that she never will be. "Why can't I be brave like Clemmy and daddy? Then I wouldn't be so scared.." She whimpered to herself, burying herself underneath the covers further.

It didn't help stop the storm altogether. Instead, it appeared to grow more loud and intense, as if it was relishing in the little girl's frightened state - Causing it to grow only more and more by the second. Poor Bonnie could only do so much; But the dreadful part of her told her to go through the storm, she just had to. Then only then, can she fit in with everybody else without feeling like she's far behind; And it's all because she's afraid of a little storm!

She tried to close her eyes and get some sleep. But before she could get a moment of peace, a sudden flash of lightning illuminating her dark room caused her to jolt. Her cries were drowned in the sound of clashing thunder that lasted a horribly long time (to her). The child couldn't take it anymore. The pillows and blankets are the only things that muffled her ear-piercing cries the rest of the night…

Meanwhile in another room, Clemont was awoken by the flash of lightning that made him cringe. Looking out, he noticed how unusually strong they are tonight and the thunder didn't make it any better. Being older now, storms don't scare Clemont so much. At least, not like they did in the past when he was just as young as Bonnie is today.

Back in his early childhood, Clemont could briefly recall how so much as a single boom of thunder is enough to rattle him entirely - Meyer had to let the boy sleep in his room just to get him to calm! Those were the good old days. Clemont could hardly believe he used to be so afraid of them, the iconic parts of his own type specialty. Then again, he was fairly young at that time. And speaking of young…

The teenager felt instinct pulling him to go out into the corridors. Bonnie just came over his mind and it caused worry to overcome him. How is she doing tonight? In an intense storm like this he doubted she'd be sleeping in peace for as far as he knew, his little sister had been very afraid of storms especially when there's lots of thunder and lightning; Just like him in the past. In seconds flat, the teen had finally made it to Bonnie's bedroom door and made his way inside.

Just when he had one step inside the room, another round of lightning flashed and there was the loud thunderous clash that followed. But what caught the brother's ears was the muffled, high-pitched scream of terror coming from the lump underneath the covers. "Bonnie!" Clemont's brotherly instinct hit skyrocket hearing his little sister crying and he was at her bedside in an instant.

Poor Bonnie was completely buried in the blankets and shaking with fear. When she felt her brother's presence in the room however, her shaking lessened. "Clemmy…" She whimpered, letting the blankets slide off her as she reached to her brother, hiccupping in sobs still.

The girl was immediately pulled closer in Clemont's arms with the elder attempting to soothe her. It deeply shattered him every time to hear his sister cry in fear. "It's okay.. H-Hey, it's okay Bonnie. It's quiet now-!" No sooner had the words left his mouth when thunder struck again, causing Bonnie to shriek and tighten her hold around her brother. "It's still there! It's gonna get me!" She cried, causing Clemont to hold her tighter. Another round echoed across the room, and this time Clemont had his sister in a vice-grip, trying his best to shield her from the noises. Fortunately it seemed to work, but only a minuscule.

Quickly taking whatever quiet time he could get, he used this seconds grace to console his sister. "Bonnie, look.. The storm's not going to get you. We're inside our house, and it can't get us that way. Don't be scared.." He gently said to her while stroking her head. The little girl murmured something incoherently, making Clemont tilt his head. "Huh? Wait I don't get you.."

Bonnie sniffled and her gaze averted to the side. "I shouldn't be afraid of this.. it isn't right." When Clemont looked concerned and asked her why, she continued, sobbing still. "E-Everybody else isn't afraid, not even you and daddy. I'm the only one who still is…" She yelped at another clash of thunder and she grasped tightly at Clemont's shirt. "I can't be scared… I shouldn't be!"

"Bonnie no.. That's not true! You shouldn't take that away from yourself," Clemont hugged her tighter. "Everyone has a fear of something and yours happened to be thunderstorms, which is very normal! It's okay to be scared of it."

The little girl in his arms still looked unconvinced. "But it won't be fair. I'm the only one in the family who's scared of it.." She looked up at him tearfully. "I want to be just like you, daddy and even Dedenne. You're not scared of it at all. If you can do it then.. so can I,"

Of course, Bonnie was really unsure if she can do that at this point. She was still terrified, and Clemont could sense it. He felt a strong sense of relating with his sister; Seeing her like this truly reminded him of his 'seven-year-old self'. Speaking of which, Bonnie probably didn't know that yet much to Clemont's inner relief. He hoped he could be able to convince her...

"You know something Bonnie? I have a secret that I've been keeping for a long time,"

Clemont's hand was running through his hair as he said this, and Bonnie perked up with curiosity. "You have? What is it?" Her pupils dilated with eager sparkles; Clemont's never told her a secret on his own will before. "Please tell me! I won't tell anybody else I promise!" Clemont rolled his eyes amusedly and shrugged. "Oh it's nothing that big. Really." He made sure Bonnie got herself settled down on his lap before he began. "You see Bonnie, when I was your age I used to be very afraid of something. I bet you can guess what it is,"

When Bonnie shook her head not knowing the answer, she received the answer, and it stunned her.

"You were scared of thunderstorms?! B-But how is that possible? You're the…"

The little girl was shook, at a loss for words. Clemont laughed a bit and looked meekly at her. "The electric type gym leader? Yeah pretty weird right? I know.. But believe me that's the truth. I was really scared of thunder when I was younger. I couldn't even sleep on my own without crying for dad," He had a wistful expression as he recalled the old memories. And then he turned to Bonnie, caressing her head with his hand. "The point is, I didn't become unafraid of thunderstorms just like that. It's really a process that takes time - It took me a few years, but in the end just I got so used to them that I learnt to ignore." He gently touched foreheads with his sister. "So if that could happen to me, then it will happen to you too. You just need to take your time and not bottle things up too much; Don't ever feel pressured because you're afraid. Everyone has the right to be, including you. So you mustn't take that away from yourself."

"Clemmy…"

Feeling greatly moved by her brother's advice, Bonnie wrapped her arms around her Clemont's neck and nuzzled into his shoulder. His words made plenty of sense for her and she trusted him deeply. "Thanks Big Brother.. You're the best ever. One day I really am gonna be as brave as you!" She said this determinedly only to squeak in fear at the sound of thunder once more.

The little girl cowered against Clemont's waist with the elder brother chuckling. He patted Bonnie's head in assurance when she gave him the sad eyes. "It doesn't have to be now. Remember, take your own time. Nobody's rushing you," He planted a soft kiss atop his sister's head before glancing outside. The storm seemed to have slowed with that earlier thunder being the last and there was only the rain that showered outside. He looked at Bonnie with a relieved smile. "I think the storm's over now. You can finally get some proper sleep."

He helped Bonnie get settled on the bed until she was lying down - The covers now neated out and free of crumpling. Clemont was about to tuck her in when the little girl looked pleadingly at him, holding his wrist. "Can you stay here with me? Just for tonight?" She clasped her hands together and gave her cutest face for more charm. "Pleeease?"

Clemont could only chortle at Bonnie's cuteness; He can never say no to that, especially tonight after she's just gone through a frightened state. So he said yes, and Bonnie let out a delighted squeal hugging him tightly.

The rest of the night was later spent in each other's presence. And then unknown to them, the storm did come back after a period of cool-down. But not once did Bonnie pay any attention. Instead, the little girl continued to smile softly in her slumber - Cuddling against Clemont as he held her in his arms, the both of them sleeping soundly under the yellow quilt. The storm did not bother them anymore, and it won't for the rest of the night.


End file.
